What you pour down your sink may be costing you money. Did you know that fatty, oily, and greasy foods clog your plumbing? Clogs cause Sanitary Sewer Overflows (SSO), spilling raw sewage into a street, a stream or even your own home. Clogs can cost hundreds of dollars to fix and thousands of dollars if the clog causes wastewater to spill out and damage bathrooms and floors.

Spills also affect your water bill. The City of Charlotte responds to more than 100 spills a year caused by leftover food clogging sewer pipes. The City inspects and clears sewer pipes to prevent spills and everyone can help by changing what we put down the drain.

·Toss leftover foods, like table scraps, in the trash.

·Collect leftover or expired oils (salad dressing, cooking oils, fryers) and grease in containers and take to recycling center or absorb liquids with coffee grounds, cat litter or paper towels and toss in trash or freeze grease before tossing in trash.

·Take leftover cleaning supplies to a Mecklenburg County Recycling Center.

The same goes for our toilets. If you flush items down the toilet that don’t belong there, you are inviting clogs. Even products labeled as “flushable” do not decompose in the sewer system and can contribute to clogging.

What is Grease? Grease is the common term for animal fats and vegetable oils. Read More...

What causes grease blockages in my plumbing?Leftover foods like any fats, oils, and grease from cooking being poured down a drain or toilet. These may be liquid when poured but can solidify to clog plumbing.

Recycle cooking oils and grease at the Mecklenburg County Recycling Centers. Or mix cooled oils / fats with an absorbent material, such as coffee grounds, and place in a lidded container and dispose of in a trash can.

Utilities conducts on-site inspections (VIDEO) at least once a year to more than 4,000 restaurants and food service establishments to protect public health. These establishments are required to have a grease trap installed and and a contract with grease hauler company.

In 2000, Utilities began inspecting food services to protect public health and eliminate grease caused spills from food service establishments. Utilities conducts on-site inspections at least once a year to more than 4,000 food service establishments.

All automotive repair operations, vehicle wash facilities and other washing activities are required to have an oil separator installed.